A NEOMFA Summer Reading List -- May 2006

 

• A couple of summers ago I read a collection of short stories by Elaine Palencia called Small Caucasian Woman.  They are really well-made stories.  Elaine Palencia is from Kentucky, but she now teaches part-time in Normal, Illinois.  Anyway, it’s a great read.

~Jeremy Sayers, UA

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Here's some good reads I have come across:

• The War of the End of the World (La Guerra del Fin del Mundo) by Mario Vargas Llosa  (Powerful, moving historical fiction . . . very brutal).

• The Secret Mitzvah of Lucio Burke by Steven Hayward (of John Carroll U.  Great writing, super characters, and funny). 

• Life of Pi by Yann Martel  (Mystical and intellectually engaging. Highly symbolic. What an ending!)

• One Hundred Years of Solitude  by Marquez. (Read anything by him.)

• Nice Big American Baby, short story collection by Judy Budnitz. (If you think fiction has gone to the dogs in recent times, READ this . . . it will give you hope. She is talented.)

~Ed Malone, CSU

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• Neuromancer, by William Gibson (Sci Fi/Cyberpunk)

• Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson (Sci Fi/Mystery)

• The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, by Carlos Castaneda (Non-Fiction/Occult/Shamanism)

• The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen (Journal/Travel Writing/Nature/Buddhism)

• Beneath a Single Moon: Buddhism in Contemporary American Poetry, Ed. by Kent Johnson and Craig Paulenich   Note: For those of you currently taking Dr. Paulenich’s course, I know we talk about this book often enough, but I really encourage everyone to read it for two reasons. First, this is one of the best anthologies I’ve ever come across. You are certain to discover several poets to dig deeper into. Second, the essays about poetry are all amazing and will make you think about your own writing in new ways.

• Braided Creek, by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser (Poetry/Correspondence)

• The Shape of the Journey: New and Collected Poems, by Jim Harrison (Poetry)

• One Hundred Poems from the Chinese translated by Kenneth Rexroth (Poetry in Translation)   Note: This is collection is a good introduction to Chinese poetry, especially of the Tang Dynasty.

• You Get So Alone Sometimes It Just Makes Sense, by Charles Bukowski (Poetry)

• Twist the Axe: A Horseplayer’s Story, by Maj Ragain (Poetry)

• Buffalo Head Solos, by Tim Siebles

• Door In The Mountain: New And Collected Poems, 1965-2003 by Jean Valentine

• Rooms And Fields: Dramatic Monologues From The War In Bosnia (Wick Poetry First Book Series) by Lee Peterson

• The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick (Speculative/Sci Fi)

• A Walk Across America, by Peter Jenkins (Journal/Travel Writing/Americana)

• All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren (Literature) Note: There is now a “restored” version edited by Noel Polk. Read the original first.

New Books by Local Poets: 

• Red Kimono, Yellow Barn, by David Hassler

• Mid-Life Crisis with Dick and Jane, by Nin Andrews

• A Hungry Ghost Surrenders His Tackle Box, by Maj Ragain

  ~Aaron M. Smith, YSU 

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• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (published 2003).  I read this book when it was first published and then read it again.  It was just such a smart book, and I found myself wonderful how the author managed to keep the traveling times in order.  It is now one of my most favored books.  If others in the MFA program read it, I would love to sit down and talk about it. 

~Pam Anderson

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• For drama I recommend Top Girls and Far Away both by Caryl Churchill.

• Perhaps the biggest treat would be Fefu and Her Friends by Maria Irene Fornes, which can be seen at Cleveland Public Theatre June 1st-17th.  I highly recommend both the read and the production. 

~Mike Geither

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• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon won the Whitbread award in 2003.

• Also Augusten Burroughs' Running with Scissors. 

~Amy Sparks 

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Top Five:

• Power of One: Bryce Courtenay

• A Prayer for Owen Meany:   John Irving

• The Things They Carried:  Tim O'Brien

• The Way of the Peaceful Warrior:  Dan Millman

• The Shipping News:  Annie Proulx

~Lenny Spacek 

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• Grant’s memoirs

• William T. Vulleman's Whores for Gloria. 

~Emily Dressler

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• Private Parts by Howard Stern 

• Benito Cereno by Herman Melville 

• The Lincoln Encyclopedia by Archer H. Shaw

• Mama Black Widow by Ice Berg Slim

~Michael Oatman 

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• The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen--both for the story and the language.

• bel canto by Ann Patchett--I bought all of her novels after reading this one.

• Aguero Sisters by Christina Garcia--Cuban, with that lovely latina magical realism.

• Kindred by Octavia Butler.  I just finished this book in honor of the author's recent and untimely death.  It's more fictional slave narrative than sci fi, which is what she is primarily known for.  Fast read, her first major work written when she was in her mid 20s. 

• Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.  This guy writes great non-fic.  Similar to Fast Food Nation written a few years back by Eric Schlosser.  Pollen considers related but different issues.  You are done reading it before you know it.

• Madame Bovary's Ovaries David Barash.  Lit-crit meets biology/natural science.  Funny, accurate, insightful.  Remember Stephan Jay Gould (Mismeasure of Man)?  Barash writes in a voice similar to that colleague of his who, like Octavia Butler, left us too soon.

~Holly Christensen

 

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• The Time Traveler’s Wife By Audrey Niffenegger 

• Atonement by Ian McEwan: A child’s misinterpretation of an adult situation leads to devastating consequences. This book is absolutely amazing!

• The Hours  by Michael Cunningham: His language is just stunning.

• Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros:  Short stories that at times verge on poetry.

• ...And the Earth did not Devour Him by Tomas Rivera

• Envy Kathryn Harrison

• The White Hotel D.M. Thomas

• The Erye Affair. By Jasper Fforde:  This one’s just for fun, but great to read of this inverted world where literature is targeted by master criminals.

~Cathy Fahey-Hunt

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• For all the Lit.-Crit. lovers out there Sandra Gilbert's new book, Death's Door: Modern Dying and the Ways We Grieve is an excellent, highly accessible book (if not a little depressing for summer reading). 

• Anything by Lorrie Moore is also fun, but especially Birds of America

• Milan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being

• Haruki Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Norwegian Wood

• Marlen Haushofer's The Wall

Enjoy the summer!

~Valerie Suffron Hilty 

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A few different genres here . . .

• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• The Man With the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren

• There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz

• Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

• Lampblack & Ash by Simone Muench

• Subject to Change by Matthew Thorburn

~Mary Biddinger 

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• David Rakoff's Don't Get Too Comfortable : The Indignities of Coach Class, The Torments of Low Thread Count, The Never- Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems.  I just started reading this one and I have to say I haven't laughed this much in years.  (Think Dave Berry, but far more intellectual.) 

• Edwidge Danticat's The Farming of Bones

• Su Tong’s Raise the Red Lantern

• Ray Bradbury's From the Dust Returned

• David Brin's Kiln People

• Anything by Alice Hoffman, but especially The River King, and Blackbird House

• Anything by Charles DeLint, too, but especially Ivory and Horn, Someplace to be Flying, and Spirits in the Wires

• Neil Gaiman's collection of short stories Fragile Things

I could go on and on . . . .

~Jana Russ 

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• Journey to the End of the Night by L. F. Celine

• Confederate General of Big Sur by Brautigan

• Iron in the Soul by J.P. Sartre

• The Idiot by Dostoevski

• The Dog Years by Gunter Grass

• The Silent Cry by Kenzaburo Oe

• A Confederacy of Dunces by J. K. Toole

• Disgrace by Coetzee

Hey, man, this could go on forever . . . have a great summer!

~Dawson Steeber